A technical team comprising more than 15 people from the Nepal Electricity Authority is repairing the two hydropower stations based in Nuwakot district, which were damaged by fire.

Trishuli Hydropower Station located at Trishuli and Devighat Hydropower Station located at Devighat suffered damage caused by fire last Tuesday. The technical team from the Nepal Electricity Authority needs one week more to complete repair work on the hydel plants.

Power generation from the 21-megawatt Trishuli Station and 14-megwatt Devighat Station have been stopped since the incident.

According to Trishuli Station’s chief Taradutta Bhatta, both the stations are currently shut down completely. The details of the loss are being collected.

Fire fighters were also used to put out fire as fire extinguishers available at the time in the district were not enough to take the situation under control and the use of water in dousing the fire might have caused additional loss. The preliminary investigation has put the loss at Rs 10 million.

Both hydropower plants were built with support from the Government of India. Trishuli Station was commission in 1967 and Devighat Station in 1984.

[July 13, 2018 / thehimalayantimes.com]